Three Kingdoms: Ten Times Speed, Diao Chan Says I'm Too Fast

"any solution?"

He Jin turned to look at He Miao.

"Why don't you summon foreign troops to Luoyang, brother?" He Miao said in a low voice.

"Foreign troops?" He Jin asked, taken aback. "From which foreign troops?"

He Miao then pointed west.

Ok?

He Jin's expression froze: "You mean Duan Yu?"

"No, no, no, no."

He Jin shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum: "No."

"Before, because of the matter of snow salt and white paper, Duan Yu was probably already dissatisfied with me. Now that I am summoning Duan Yu to the capital, things may change."

"Furthermore, it's still uncertain whether the jade pills Dong Zhuo presented were truly poisonous. If it really was Dong Zhuo plotting to harm His Majesty, then..."

"Brother."

He Jin was interrupted by He Miao before he could finish speaking.

"A blank sheet of paper, a handful of salt, what does a mere penny amount to in the face of power?"

"Whether the jade pills presented by Dong Zhuo were poisoned or not, that was Dong Zhuo's own problem. What did it have to do with Duan Yu?"

"Now that the Empress is trapped in the palace and the throne is uncertain, if we do not take the initiative, we will eventually be at the mercy of others."

"If Empress Dowager Dong really establishes Marquis Dong as emperor, our He clan will be overthrown in an instant, and all our efforts over the years will be in vain."

He Jin paced back and forth in the hall, constantly rubbing his hands together as if making some difficult decision.

"Elder brother, as long as we summon Duan Yu to lead his troops into the capital, we can gain external support. With Duan Yu's army, we can control Luoyang and even the entire Guanzhong region. At that time, we can reward Duan Yu for his meritorious service in supporting the emperor and lavishly bestow titles and honors upon him, which will stabilize the court."

"If anyone dares to disobey, just have Duan Yu suppress them."

"Is there any sword in the world today that can outrun Duan Yu's?"

"Brother, it will be too late if we don't make a decision soon."

"Once His Majesty dies, the outcome will be sealed, and there will be no turning back."

Just as He Miao finished speaking, a simultaneous interpretation came from outside.

A servant came in from outside and announced the news.

"General, there is an imperial decree in the palace ordering all officials to enter the palace tomorrow to discuss the matter of establishing a crown prince."

Upon hearing this news, He Jin suddenly turned his gaze to He Miao.

He Miao's eyes darted around, then he waved his hand to dismiss the servants and said, "Elder brother, we must not enter the palace at this time."

"Why?" He Jin looked at He Miao.

"Brother, how could you be so foolish?"

He Miao pointed somewhat speechlessly in the direction of Nangong and said, "The palace guards are now all in Jian Shuo's hands, and Jian Shuo only obeys His Majesty. His Majesty has long intended to make Dong Hou the crown prince."

"If my elder brother were to enter the palace at this time and be trapped inside, wouldn't he be at the same mercy as the Empress?"

"What if that Jian Shuo..."

At this point, He Miao made a throat-slitting gesture.

He Jin's expression immediately froze, and he shouted, "How dare he! I am the Great General..."

"Hehe." He Miao chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Brother, isn't Liang Yi a great general? Or isn't Dou Wu a great general?"

"Brother, how do you consider the He family to be compared to the Liang family?"

"How does it compare to the Dou family?"

He Jin fell silent after being asked this question by He Miao.

Neither the Dou family of the former General Dou Wu nor the Liang family of Liang Yi could compare to the He family.

The Dou family also included the Liang family and the Dou clan, which were aristocratic families, while the He family was merely a powerful clan.

The reason we've gotten to where we are today is entirely due to He Lingsi's position as Empress.

Compared to the Liang, Dou, and He families, their foundations were far too shallow.

General?

He Miao sighed.

It sounds really impressive.

The Grand General can mobilize all the troops in the land.

But the problem is, where can we mobilize troops now?

If the troops of the five Northern Army Schools were still there, the situation would be quite different.

But which army in Luoyang can He Jin command now?

The Imperial Guards were in the hands of Jian Shuo, the Colonel of the Upper Army, while the Tiger Warriors were in the hands of Yuan Shu, the General of the Tiger Warriors.

He Jin had some city defense troops under his command.

But compared to the Imperial Guards and the Tiger Legion, they were utterly insignificant.

If they were to willingly enter the palace and be led into the tiger's den at this point, they would truly become lambs to the slaughter.

After pondering for a long time, He Jin took a deep breath, as if he had made a difficult decision.

"it is good."

He Jin nodded and said, "As you say, summon Duan Yu to Luoyang. Also... I will leave the city tomorrow and wait for Duan Yu's troops to enter Luoyang before entering the city."

............

The next morning.

The officials who had been summoned to the palace last night by Empress Dowager Dong to discuss the matter of establishing a crown prince had already gathered in front of the Sima Gate early in the morning.

Grand Commandant Ma Ridi, Minister of Works Cui Lie, Minister of Public Works Zhang Wen, and the Nine Ministers, along with hundreds of other important court officials, were all present.

Besides, there was another person surrounded by everyone, as if they were the moon being held in regalia.

Yuan Wei.

That's right, it's Yuan Wei.

Last night, Empress Dowager Dong issued an imperial edict appointing Yuan Wei as Grand Tutor, preparing him to assist the new emperor in his ascension to the throne.

Yuan Wei, who had experienced three rises and three falls, was now beaming with joy.

Surrounded by the crowd, they arrived at the Sima Gate.

"Master Yuan".

"Master Yuan".

"With Lord Yuan here, everyone has a pillar of support."

"Yes, Lord Yuan, it is just right to have Lord Yuan in charge at this time."

"Lord Yuan." Situ Cui Lie greeted Yuan Kui with a smile on his face and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

At this moment, Cui Lie was completely different from the spirited and ambitious person he had been when he first took over as Situ.

Yuan Wei nodded slightly.

Situ and Taifu should theoretically be ranked among the Three Dukes.

However, the Grand Tutor was the emperor's teacher, occupying a core position in the autocratic ruler's court and serving as the emperor's high-ranking representative in ruling the four directions.

They directly participated in the formulation and decision-making of major military and national affairs, and often became the true rulers when the emperor was young or the royal family was weak.

Therefore, to some extent, the position of Grand Tutor was higher than that of Minister of Works, Minister of Agriculture, and Grand Commandant.

Yuan Kui rose and fell three times, and everyone thought that after losing his position as Minister of Works last time, he would probably never be able to make a comeback.

After all, the emperor favored Duan Yu, and Yuan Wei was removed from his position as Minister of Works because he was an enemy of Duan Yu.

But no one expected that the emperor would suddenly fall seriously ill and never recover.

But Yuan Wei was able to rise again.

Moreover, this time he directly surpassed the Three Dukes and became the future emperor's teacher.

As long as the emperor dies and a new emperor ascends the throne, Yuan Wei will be second only to the emperor and above all others.

"The time has come, the palace gates open..."

With a series of announcements, the Sima Gate, which had been closed for nearly two days, reopened.

Inside the Sima Gate stood rows of imperial guards, armed with weapons and clad in armor.

Captain Jian Shuo of the Imperial Guards stood among the Imperial Guards, his eyes searching through the crowd.

But after searching for a long time, Jian Shuo still couldn't find the person he was looking for.

On the Chongde Hall.

Dressed in a black phoenix robe, Empress Dowager Dong, holding the hand of the four-year-old Marquis Liu Xie, sat behind a curtain behind the dragon throne.

The sides of the main hall, as well as the area in front of the hall, were filled with imperial guards.

The officials who were going to court left their shoes and long swords outside the palace before entering in turn.

The air thick with the scent of war gave the main hall an air of solemnity and dignified tension.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects."

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects."

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects."

Loud shouts rang out from the crowd.

Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, Minister of Works Cui Lie, Minister of Public Works Zhang Wen, and Grand Commandant Ma Ridi, among others, stood at the forefront of the assembled officials.

"You may all rise."

Empress Dowager Dong, who was nearly fifty years old, gently raised her wide black sleeves from behind the beaded curtain.

"Your Majesty is unwell, and I have been presiding over the affairs of state on your behalf. The reason I have summoned all the ministers here today is to discuss the matter of the Crown Prince."

Although the officials could not see Empress Dowager Dong's appearance through the curtain, they were still very familiar with her voice.

This is not the first time that an empress dowager has ruled as regent.

At the beginning of Liu Hong's reign, the Dou family held immense power, and Empress Dowager Dou Miao was the regent at the time.

Now it's just that the person has changed; it's now Empress Dowager Dong.

Moreover, now that the emperor is seriously ill, Empress Dowager Dong is the most honorable person in the harem, and as the emperor's biological mother, she should be in charge of the court affairs and participate in the overall situation.

Yuan Wei stood at the front, holding his tablet in both hands, head bowed, a smug smile on his lips.

Last night, Empress Dowager Dong issued an imperial edict appointing him as Grand Tutor, which is a compromise and a way of winning him over to some extent.

As for his intentions, Yuan Wei naturally understood them.

The eldest son of the emperor, Liu Bian, was the son of Empress He and also the nephew of General He Jin.

The second son, Liu Xie, was raised by Prefect Dong.

If the crown prince or the new emperor is the eldest son Liu Bian, then Empress Dowager Dong will have to give way to Empress He. Under the current circumstances, the powerful He family is very likely to become the next Dou family. Empress He is the previous Dou Miao, and He Jin is the previous Dou Wu.

Imperial power has fallen into the wrong hands.

However, if Liu Xie is made crown prince or a new emperor, that would be a different story.

Empress Dowager Dong could oversee the government just like Dou Miao.

Behind the beaded curtain, Empress Dowager Dong held the hand of the four-year-old Liu Xie, turning her head to look at him and comfort him.

He then addressed the assembled officials through the curtain, saying, "Your Majesty is currently unwell, as you all surely know. The matter of establishing an heir is imperative."

"Although His Majesty has not yet appointed a crown prince, he has long intended to do so. Today, I would like to announce His Majesty's previous intention and also listen to the opinions of the ministers."

"Gentlemen, please speak freely without any reservations."